Under My Skin
by mikasackerman
Summary: Mikasa Ackerman is out of options. She is bored of her daily routines and frustrated with her best friend. When Eren Jaeger calls for her help, as always, Mikasa goes running to protect him and Armin from the dangers of Trost.


**Hi everyone! This is my first Jeankasa fic (well, my first fic ever) but I'm so glad I'm writing it because this ship makes me really emotional. Plus, there aren't many Jeankasa modern au fanfiction so I thought I'd do you people a favour Thanks to all the twitter people for the support, you guys are so rad! THIS CHAPTER IS JUST CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT…BUT WAIT, THERE WILL BE MORE AND MORE JEANKASA AS WE GRADUALLY GET INTO THE STORY I don't plan to write too many chapters, maybe six or seven.**

**I hope you like it :s I was really nervous about uploading this because it's nowhere near as good as everyone else's fanfics. Anyway…**

My head pulsed concurrently with my heart as I tensed my arm back for the next punch. The punch bag swung back one last time. I was exhausted but staying extra hours for workouts was my one of my only opportunities to let out my anger. I wasn't angry for a reason…I was just _angry_…If that made sense. I usually scoffed when people regarded me as a calm, collected person. Behind closed doors, I enjoyed screaming at the walls or attacking punch bags until my knuckles split. I only got into fights to get Eren or Armin, my childhood friends, out of them. They were practically magnets who attracted large, bloodthirsty men.

The tank top that I wore clung to my skin, as well as my hair. I tied it back from my face and made a mental note to get it cut soon; there was no use for it to be so long. I sighed as I lay down on the cold gym floor. My breathing was still shallow and I could see the steam escape from my mouth into the freezing air. I turned my head to stare out of the window. The afternoon sunlight had melted the frost on the glass but it wasn't enough to melt the crisp, white covering on the pavements of the city of Trost.

The sound of my ringtone boomed throughout the empty room, snapping me out of my daze.

_I'm a boss ass bitch, bitch…_

_I'm a boss ass bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch…_

"Urgh, I'm going to need to change that..." I glanced at the screen: "'Dumbass Fucker' calling". _Brilliant._

I pressed the green button, "What is it, Eren?"

A nervous laugh came from the receiver, "Umm, Mikasa…promise you won't be mad?"

"I'm not promising anything." I heard a high-pitched screaming from the other side of the line. "Is that Armin?"

"You need to get here quick. Armin's in trouble and I'm going to try and hold them off until you get here."

"Wait, who are 'them'? Where the hell are you?" I sat up abruptly and made my way to the exit of the gym, trying to handle my red scarf, jacket and phone all in one hand as I pushed the heavy door open with the other.

"We're in the alley near the college-" I heard muffled voices and the line went dead.

_Oh for fuck's sake, Eren, you'd better not do anything stupid before I find you both._

I ran down the icy pavement, taking care not to slip. It was pretty easy once you learned how to adjust your centre of gravity on ice.

I wondered if Eren had meant the alleyway beside Trost College. It was familiar to me because I attended class there during the term along with him and Armin. It was closed for winter break so it would've been isolated especially when it was bloody minus five degrees in the evenings. It was perfect for gangs to cause trouble without being noticed by passers-by.

I was concerned for Armin especially. He wasn't usually targeted by bullies because they were intimidated by me (according to Eren, it was him the bullies were afraid of). Eren couldn't particularly look after himself either but his extent of rage could work as an advantage in emergencies.

I ran around the bend of one of the old streets, heading towards the college. As I approached the alleyway, I heard shouts. I wasn't surprised that it was Eren who was making most of the noise.

I sprinted into the alley and halted in front of five huge guys who were surrounding Eren and Armin. The one who was the furthest away from me was wearing an orange jacket. He had a hold of the back of Armin's collar, lifting him about a foot off of the ground. Armin's face was covered by his hair and he had made his hands into fists to stop them from trembling. As for Eren, he was kicking and screaming insults at the gang despite the fact that he himself had been pinned up against the wall by two of the others.

Although the situation was serious, I couldn't help smiling to myself. If the gang had been from Trost they would've known better than to pick a fight with Eren and Armin. Wherever those two were, I was always close by. _I _was their problem.

_It's a good thing they aren't from Trost. _I stretched both of my arms and clicked my fingers. _Finally, I've been aching for something exciting to happen for a long time. I'm going to enjoy getting rid of these giants._

I took a couple of deep breaths. It was good to stay placid during tricky situations.

Eren's turquoise eyes gleamed when he saw my standing behind the one of the guys, "Mikasa!"

The guy directly in front of me spun around, but he was too slow; my arm was already going for a punch square in the gut. As he doubled over I kicked the backs of his knees, causing him to fall face first into a pile of snow. _One down, four to go._

The guy in the orange jacket started at me, dropping Armin in the process. He grabbed my arms and restrained them behind my back. I looked over at Eren who was now held in a headlock. Both boys were screaming. I felt like screaming at them. If my hands were free I wouldn't have thought twice about putting them back in their senses.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted two boys approaching us. I recognised them straight away; one had jet black hair and cute freckles on his cheek and the other had soft, brown hair and a face resembling a horse. Marco Bodt and Jean Kirschtein.

Jean lost his smirk as his eyes focused on the hands held tightly behind my back. The next few minutes were a blur. To my left, Jean began to run towards me. Eren broke free from his opponent's grasp and did the same as Jean.

_Are they stupid? _I sighed.

In one fast motion, I brought one of my legs to my chest and kicked backwards (luckily) into the balls of the bastard behind me. He let out a high-pitched shriek (I did a double take to make sure it wasn't Armin I had kicked instead). The guy was strong though; he quickly recovered and went for a punch directly at my face. As I ducked out of the way, Jean had taken my place and the guy's fist bashed his face in. Jean falling onto the floor worked as a distraction so I could finish with a roundhouse kick in the bastard's face.

_Only three more left._

My next task was saving Eren's ass. As he had rashly ran towards me, he forgot about the other two guys who were on him. I managed to knock them all out except for the last guy who had completely frozen over. I started to step towards him but he ran away with his tail between his legs. _Stupid coward._

I did a quick body check; no bruises or cuts but I did have to adjust my scarf a little. I turned my neck and watched Marco take Jean and support him with his shoulder. I took Jean's other arm around my neck and allowed him to lean the other half of his body on me. By examining his face up close, I could see that Jean had a massive bruise on the left side of his face. Not to mention that his nose was also bleeding.

"Jean!" I shouted, trying to stop him from dozing off, "Jean, are you okay?"

Jean let out a bubbly laugh.

_I'll take that as a no._

I faced Marco, "We need to get out of here quickly," I nodded to the gang sprawled on the floor, "before they wake up."

Eren and Armin caught up to us. Armin had just finished wiping away his tears but his eyes were bloodshot and his hands were still shaking.

"Thanks for saving us, Mikasa!" Armin hugged me, "Those guys just randomly centred in on us and if you hadn't showed up..."

I noticed he was getting taller; Armin used to be up to my chin but now he and I were the same height. Armin's hair tickled my nose and I was stifling the urge to sneeze. I patted his cute little bob and broke the embrace.

Eren shrugged, running his hand through his hair, "I had it all under control but you managed to prevent Jean from being beaten into pulp. I guess he had it coming, honestly."

It was a good thing Jean was out of earshot because if he heard that comment, regardless of his physical state, he would've bruised Eren's face too.

I gave Eren a skeptical look and rolled my eyes, "Name one time you didn't need me to save your sorry ass."

"Well, there was that one time when-"

"Hey, Mikasa!" Marco waved us over. He had advanced a few metres and managed to walk out of the alley without dropping Jean, who was still relying on Marco for support. "You said yourself that we have to get out of here."

"Right." I ran towards them, Eren and Armin on my heels.

"Should we take the bus home?" Eren suggested to Armin and I.

"Sure," Armin glanced at his watch, "if you'd like to stay here another twenty minutes until the bus arrives in this freezing weather then be our guest."

"Wait, I parked my car further down the street." Marco gave us a dimpled smile. He paused, "There are only four seats though, so two of you will have to take Jean."

Eren looked horrified, "Take Jean where?"

I sighed, "On your lap, dipshit."

Eren stared at Marco and I like we had lost our minds and hat nothing was worse than having Jean Kirschtein lie on you.

We walked over to Marco's ancient Triumph Stag. I thought Marco was really brave to drive that thing. It looked like it could've broken down at any minute. I contemplated running off back to the bus stop but shook my head at the thought as Armin ran over to the car.

"I call shotgun!" Armin was already climbing in to the passenger's seat. Eren was too far behind to compete with Armin for it. This meant that Eren and I had to take Jean.

Jean, who was half awake, groaned at Eren in disapproval as Eren and I sat wen to sit in the back seats. Marco opened my side of the door and help Jean lay his head on my lap and his legs on Eren's.

Eren looked at me, wondering why I wasn't squirming away from Jean. "It's only a fifteen minute journey, you'll cope."

He gave me a doubtful look. His expression revealed that he had definitely thought about pushing Jean out of the car when it was in full motion. But he was trying to be kind for once. Jean was injured after all. Eren glared at Jean through the corner of his eye. "You'd better not get your filthy shoes on my jeans, horseface," He spat.

Jean just groaned in response.

"Shut up, Eren. He's injured pretty badly. He needs some rest, for fuck's sake," I snarled.

"Guys, break it up, would you?" Armin turned to us. I held his gaze, silently thanking him for calming Eren down. Even since childhood, Armin was always Eren's weak spot. He always turned to Armin for support or when I couldn't help him with things- which had been the situation lately. Although I had saved both of them from being brutally attacked, it was a rare occasion. They were both growing up too quickly and it felt I was stuck in the same time frame since high school. Armin was training to be a doctor and Eren had a boyfriend. His name was Levi and he was stunningly attractive and god-like, not to mention intimidating. On the other hand, I had no idea what I wanted to do in the near future. I had been so caught up in protecting Eren and Armin that I never realised that one day they wouldn't need me anymore. Sure, I was excellent at sports and good at all of my majoring subjects but good grades couldn't fix loneliness. That's what I felt: lonely and out of options. Not just Eren and Armin but all of my other classmates were enjoying their college experience, whereas my life was eat, sleep, college, gym, repeat.

I gazed down at Jean. His bruise was already starting to turn purple and the blood on his face had dried. Jean's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes were closed. Through his eyelids I could see Jean's eyeballs moving and all of the muscles in his face were still tensed. Jean's pain showed in the rate of his breathing. _That punch was supposed to be for me._ I reached out for his hand but recoiled when I noticed his eyelids flickering open.

"Mika…sa," Jean had one eye open and stared at my face. With one hand he touched a stray strand of my black hair, "Have I ever told you that you have beautiful hair?" He tucked the strand behind my ear.

Heat rose in my cheeks and I subtly covered my nose and mouth with my scarf. _Does he have any idea what he's saying? I wasn't sure before but he definitely needs medical attention if he's complimenting me on my hair._

"We'll have to put some ice on that, Jean," I gestured to his injury. "Now that I think of it, we should've just collected some snow from the pavement, there was enough of it."

"Huh," Jean looked at me, confused. That hit really fucked up his brain.

"Ah we're here!" Marco cheered.

We took the elevator to our apartment, bringing Marco and Jean with us. Jean still needed support and although his face was still swollen and there were garish red splotches on his cheeks, Jean claimed to have been feeling better. _At least he sounds sane unlike earlier in the car._

I opened the door of apartment 15B and beckoned the rest to come inside.

Jean and Marco had visited us often although Eren and Jean couldn't be in the same room as each other without starting a WWE brawl.

"The twat is breathing a few metres away from me. Why does he have to be here?" Jean would say.

"You're the one with bad breath, horseface! And this is my house for god's sake." Eren would counterattack.

Threats would be made.

Then it would be my cue to separate them.

I scanned our living room. It wasn't much but it was our home. It was also a pig sty. Before leaving for the gym, I told Eren to clean up but was messier than how I had left it earlier; stray socks were hanging from the lights (!), takeaway packets were scattered on the floor and-

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE MY KNICKERS DOING IN THE LIVING ROOM?" I screeched at Eren.

"I was sorting out the washing," he shrugged.

I gave him my evil eye and goddamn hoped he could see the rage radiating off of me.

Eren put his hands up in surrender, "I'll get Levi to clean it up."

"No! You're going to clean up this mess…" I paused. "This room better be spotless when I come back."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To take a shower. You should try it sometime."

Jean sniggered.

Eren mumbled something about me being moody today.

I rounded on him, "What did you say?"

"Nothing…just that I have to meet my friend, Judy," he spluttered.

I grabbed his shirt and clenched my hands into fists, dragging him closer. Eren was a few inches taller than me but that meant nothing when it came down to strength. "You know why I'm angry? It's because you're a dumbass who had to get in a fight and it's practically your fault Jean had his face rearranged. Plus, this room is a mess!"

Eren sighed, "I'll clean it up." I let go of him and shook my head.

I opened my bedroom door halfway and looked at Armin. "Armin, will you take care of Jean?"

He nodded awkwardly and proceeded in taking Jean into the kitchen.

"Oh, and Marco, make yourself comfortable."

Marco smiled sheepishly as he searched for a safe spot on the couch to sit on. Instead, he found an empty crisp packet lodged between two cushions. He then subsided into helping Armin patch up Jean.

I entered my bedroom which was clean and organised despite the rest of the house. The walls were blue. A deep, ocean blue. Trost wasn't anywhere near the ocean but after we graduated from high school Armin, Eren and I packed our bags and headed off to the southern coast of Australia. Hannes, our guardian, paid for us. The water was a very bright, blue-green there. It had only been a few months since we were there but I could still hear the whispers of the Pacific and the cries of the pelicans. While Eren and I competed to see who could surf the largest wave, Armin dived in the shallow depths of the shore. His fascination in the different species of coral went beyond us. I remembered the nights where we would sit side by side on the sand and watch the stars. One night, we were sat on the beach when Armin, to my left, suddenly interrupted the silence.

"You should beware of the Great White sharks when you're out surfing tomorrow. If they mistake your surfboards for seals then you're toast." Armin's blue eyes were pale and vivid in the moonlight.

Eren, who was to my right, leaned back on the sand in nonchalance, "If I put my mind to it, I could beat those punk sharks with my own two fists."

Armin and I laughed at him, shaking our heads.

That had been before we enrolled in college. The best summer of our lives ended when our next chapter in education began. We said goodbye to Hannes in Shiganshina and travelled to Trost. Soon, Armin and Eren were mixing with other people, making new friends and fulfilling ambitions. I strived for that too.

I grabbed my towel, wriggled out of my sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. It was convenient that I had my own bathroom instead of having to share it with the boys. I pitied Armin who scolded Eren every time he didn't flush the toilet.

The first droplets of water hit my skin like fire on ice. The steam fogged the screens, separating me from the rest of the world. The warmth of the water calmed my mind and caused me to shiver with sensation. I leaned my head back, allowing the water to cover every inch of my skin. I started to lather my hair with soap, gradually working my way down to my toes. After washing away the soap, I stayed under the water for a while, thinking about nothing. I decided to get out once my fingers were all wrinkly.

I wrapped my towel around my chest and stepped out of the bathroom. The sudden contact with the cool air made me shiver. I noticed that the window was open. _I don't remember leaving them open._

I startled cry came from my right, "M-Mikasa!"

I jumped, clutching my towel tighter around my chest. I turned around to find Jean sprawled on my bed. I was aware that my cheeks were heating up again. I couldn't hide my face under my scarf so I prayed I wasn't blushing.

Funnily, Jean was blushing too as his gaze lowered from my eyes to my mouth, and then to down to my chest. He didn't have the chance to carry his eyes down to my thighs because I was already grabbing the front of his shirt, lifting his head off of my pillow. "Care to explain why you're here?" I gave him an if-I'm-not-satisfied-with-your-reason-then-you're-as-good-as-dead look.

"A-all the other rooms were preoccupied and Armin said I need to get some rest."

"I'm pretty sure staring at my boobs is not a form of treatment, you perverted asshole," I let him go roughly. Jean groaned as his heat hit the pillow.

I walked over to my wardrobe, aware that Jean wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was checking out my ass. I quickly grabbed the first clothes I could find and walked as fast as I could back into the bathroom.

_Holy shit._

Obviously there weren't any other rooms available; Armin's bed was covered with books and science projects and Eren would've rather sold his soul to Satan than let Jean into his territory. We didn't have any spare rooms so my bedroom was his only option. Well, the kitchen floor would've been fine too.

_I'm pretty convinced Kirschtein has a death wish._

I looked at the clothes I blindly grabbed; a pair of black jeans and a green sweater. No underwear. _You're kidding me. _I decided I had to make do and hoped no one noticed.

Jean was still lounging on my bed when I returned to my room. I told him that I was going back to the living room and he took that as an invitation to follow me.

The living room looked completely different to the last time I saw it. I almost didn't recognise room was spotless. There weren't any stains on the carpet and the clothes were all dry and folded neatly in a pile.

_There's only one person who could've done this._

_Levi._

Eren's boyfriend was sat on our couch, arms outstretched casually along the back of it, his short legs crossed. Levi was wearing and apron and carrying an awfully large duster. His cold, black eyes appeared bored as he spotted me. "Mikasa, fancy seeing you here," Levi's tone was nothing but sarcastic.

"Well, I do live here."

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't," Levi nodded in Jean's direction. Jean, too intimidated by him to respond properly, just shrugged. "I'm surprised that you could tolerate the filth in here by the way," Levi raised his eyebrows.

I crossed my arms, leaned on the doorframe and scoffed at Levi, "Who said anything about me tolerating that shithole? I'm guessing you cleaned this all up?"

"No shit, Sherlock," Levi waved his duster around once more, reminding me of a fairy princess of the dead.

I ignored his remark and searched of Eren. Instead, through the doorway of the kitchen, I spotted Marco and Armin laughing and discussing school affairs. Jean, who was probably feeling uncomfortable in Levi's presence, shuffled out of the room to join them.

Levi noticed me searching for Eren, "He's in his room, getting dressed."

"Oh?" My gaze was quizzical.

"We're going out for dinner." Levi's sentence was short and to the point. I had only met him a month before, when Eren introduced me to him. Levi also attended Trost College; it was his last year so I had known of Levi. His reputation in Trost was of someone who you should've stayed clear of. Despite his height, he was capable of making people piss their pants by just glancing in their direction, even Eren at times. Levi never had that effect on me though. I realised it was because we were very much alike. I hoped I wasn't _that_ unapproachable though.

I stood in silence, avoiding Levi's serious gaze when Eren emerged from his bedroom wearing a white shirt, a red cardigan and worn down jeans. He grabbed Levi's hand and walked to the front door. Before leaving, Levi whispered something into Eren's ear. Blushing, Eren turned to me, "Don't wait up for me, I'm staying over at Levi's." And with that, he and Levi were gone.

My eyes widened and my mouth gaped open. _Eren Jaeger has a sex life. Eren Fucking Jaeger._

Even in the next room, Jean, Marco and Armin had heard Eren. They all stopped laughing and their expressions changed to looks of disbelief.

_Silence._

_And then…_

"Woah, so that Levi guy popped his cherry?" Jean was completely dumbfounded.


End file.
